You know that feeling you get when you have to stand up and present something in front of your peers? That moment when you know that all eyes are on you and your every move is being watched, every drop of sweat that falls is being followed by eyes that are ready to judge you on your performance? Failing miserably after spending hours at home attempting to write a speech that is not only acceptable to the professor but equally impressive and funny to hear to my classmates. Having my hard work be thought of as stupid or even worse, be laughed at for doing something wrong. That is exactly how I feel when speaking in public. Every time I have to speak in front of people I get sweaty palms, my breathing rate increases and my mouth gets dry. All I am trying to do is get my speech out without sounding like a dork. The basis of my fear has to be the fear of failure which can relate to the 'Uncertainty about Evaluation.' To get up and speak in front of people and then fail is my biggest fear.
"The spotlight probably isn't nearly as bright as you might think." A wonderful quote at the end of my favorite paragraph. I know the person that wrote that paragraph has probably done it all, been laughed at and judged and so on. But at the same time, that spotlight, when only on you does not black out the faces, the noises from the audience. This is a fear that I must try to get over. I am looking forward to reading the chapters in this book with a hope to improve myself.
Wow, when I read your post I swear it was describing me. I feel the same way when it comes to public speaking. I get super nervous, and can't wait to get it over with. I definitely have the spotlight effect. I as well, really liked the quote, "The spotlight probably isn't nearly as bright as you might think." I know that this is true. I think a lot of times we build up this big fear of public speaking, when by doing so we are just hurting ourselves and our confidence. If you think about it, we speak in public all the time. The setting may be more casual, but we do it every day. Maybe, if we try and present like we would casually talk to our friends, it would help lessen the nervousness and fear.
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